By A Route Obscure and Lonely
by Nerrivik
Summary: (CC/AU) Michael is sent away from Roswell when he is 10 yrs old, to live somewhere else. Aliens exist, but most everything will change.
1. No Goodbyes

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Title: By A Route Obscure and Lonely  
**Author:** Nerrivik  
**E-mail:** Nerrivik@msn.com  
**Rating:** R (language)  
**Category:** CC/AU 

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Disclaimer: If I owned it, I would be rich and hated. The title is a verse from Edgar Alan Poe's "Dream-Land" also not mine.  
**Summary: **Michael is sent away from Roswell when he is 10 yrs old, to live somewhere else. Aliens exist, but most everything will change. This is my story so nanny. ( I suck at summaries.)

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"Get your things together kid, I'm finally getting rid of your delinquent ass!" yelled Bob, kicking the mattress 10 year old Michael slept on. 

"Whatever," Michael muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He'd lived in this God forsaken town for four years, had lived with ten different families and had yet to leave this trailer park.

While shoving the few belonging he actually owned into a shopping bag, he secretly wondered where he'd be going now. "Ugh, I hope it's not with crazy old Ms. Kinder!" he mused in his head, she had atleast ten cats and always smelled like cat poop.

A knock at the door brought Michael out of his reverie and announced the arrival of Mr. Sanchez, Michael's case worker. Mr. Sanchez was an OK guy, he seemed to care, kinda young though. Michael had had some real jerks who seemed burned out and treated him like dirt, Mr. Sanchez though always seemed worried about Michael and would try to talk to him. He wouldn't get far, but it was nice to know someone cared, even if it was their job.

Mr. Sanchez suggested Michael "go out and play", while he talked about some adult issues with Bob. Which basically meant, "We are going to talk about YOU, so go outside." Michael was used to this though, and even if he were allowed to stay in the room, he would rarely be acknowledged. They talked about him like he wasn't there, and it made him mad. Like he was a problem that none of them really wanted to deal with. 

"I never asked to be born." Michael muttered as he began throwing rocks at tin cans set on a broken down wood fence. He wondered if anyone would see him if he used his powers, he wanted to practice them. Looking around, he noticed no one was outside. Walking further out of view, towards the fence, he raised his hand. The palm of him hand began to feel warm.

"BAM!" a screen door slammed, scaring Michael, and nearly causing him to send an erratic power blast. 'What the heck was I thinking,' Michael thought, watching as Mr. Sanchez and Bob walked towards the vehicle in his front yard, 'No wonder Max was always worried that I am going to do something crazy.'

Michael quickly joined the two men near the car, "Well, I sure am going to miss him," Bob began, ruffling Michael's hair, "We have become pals since he came to stay with me." Michael snorted in protest, yeah if pals meant treating him like trash, that's exactly the relationship they had.

Michael climbed into the backseat of the gray sedan, buckling his seat belt before Mr. Sanchez closed the door. Soon after Mr. Sanchez climbed into the front seat and started the engine. Trailers began to pass, he wondered if he would be going to the North Lot this time, they were the nicer trailers. Best of all, most of them had cable.

It never occurred to him to call and tell Isabelle and Max that he was moving. It never occurred to him that this time he would be moving far away…….


	2. The Long Road To The Unknown

Michael had been somewhat elated when they drove out of the trailer park. Maybe he would be able to live in a house, a real house, without wheels. He had always thought that if he could just get into a real home, he would be able to stay, and maybe like Isabelle and Max, he would have a family. 

However, as the streets and houses past, he started to feel trepidation setting in. Soon they were on the outskirts of town and he was barely hiding the anxiety he was feeling. It wasn't until they past the "Now Leaving Roswell" sign, that Michael got up enough courage to ask where he was going.

"Arizona." Mr. Sanchez said simply, glancing over his shoulder at Michael, "Phoenix, to be more exact."

"Why?" Michael asked, his voice betraying his utter fear.

"There's a family there, they have seen your picture and heard all about you." He told him reassuringly, "They want to adopt you Mike, they can't wait to meet you!"

"My name is Michael." Michael muttered under his breath, sitting back in a huff. He didn't want to leave Roswell, not without Max and Izzy. They were his family after all.

"There are two other kids there as well, they are in the process of adopting them. You won't be lonely. They are your age." Mr. Sanchez continued, "Mrs. Davirro assures me that you will fit right in to their family. She will be your new case worker."

Michael stared out the window, ignoring everything Mr. Sanchez said from that point on. Passed on again, like the flu. Or like one of those fruit cake things at Christmas. He sat still staring out the window for several hours until sleep claimed him.

Michael awoke suddenly when he felt the car slowing down. Disoriented for a minute, he frantically looked around trying to understand his surroundings. 'Oh yes," he thought, 'Arizona…'

"This is Phoenix?" Michael asked looking around at the city passing by. Funny, he thought it would be bigger..

"No," Mr. Sanchez said, pulling on to the off ramp. "This is Tuscon. Phoenix is about two more hours North of here. We are meeting Mrs. Davirro here, she will take you the rest of the way."

The car pulled up in front of a Denny's and the two got out. Mrs. Davirro was waiting at a booth inside, talking on her cell phone. The three quickly ate, and left the restaurant. 

Mrs. Davirro drove slow, Michael didn't like her at all. She would barely even look at him, didn't answer any of his questions, and to top off things she had a big nose and crooked teeth. He fondly started referring to her as Snaggle tooth, to himself of course. After three more hours on the I-10, they finally arrived at their destination. West Phoenix, and his new life.


	3. Familiar Faces

The house they pulled up in front of looked nice enough. Grey with blue trim, a drive way with a station wagon in it, rose bushes in front of the windows and two trees also surrounded by flowers. In the front yard, in the middle of the grass sat a little blonde girl reading a book. 

Mrs. Davirro and Michael got out of the car and she led him quickly over to the little girl, "Hello Shysie, what is it your reading?" Mrs. Davirro asked, to Michael's surprise she actually sounded kind in that moment. The little girl, probably 10 like him, flipped over the cover to show the title. "The Complete Works of Edgar Alan Poe"

"Don't you think that's a bit heavy reading for a ten year old?" she asked good heartedly. Michael looked at the Social Worker in amazement, she had been stoic the last three hours in the car, but for some reason this girl brought out kindness in her. Michael stared at the girl, there was something familiar about her. Her eye's seemed to see right through him, it made him shudder. Like she could read everything he was thinking.

"Where is your mother, and Liz?" Asked the adult, Michael noticed that Shysie flinched at the word mother. Shysie looked and pointed towards the house before returning her gaze back to Michael. "Oh this is your new brother! His name is Michael." She told the little girl.

"Hi" Michael spit out gruffly squirming under Shysie's stare. Shysie smiled slightly and waved quickly before returning to her book.

Mrs. Davirro put her hand on Michael's shoulder and led him to the front door. Michael glanced back at the girl in the grass, she was looking at him again. A sad smile crossed her face and for a moment Michael swore he remembered her from somewhere, but couldn't place her. She looked away quickly, and he did the same. 

Mrs. Davirro knocked on the door, a few moments latter another little girl answered the door. 'Great,' Michael thought, 'sure there are other kids here my age. THEY are GIRLS!' As they walked inside, he took a good look at her, he realized she too was familiar to him. The wheels in his mind were beginning to spin. What did this mean? Was this his family? Were they all aliens too?

"Michael this is Liz, Liz this is Michael." Snaggle tooth said to both children. "Ah, Mrs. Guerin! How are you?" she said as a slender Native American women walked into the living room. "This," she said shoving Michael forward, "is Michael."

"Well hello Michael," Mrs. Guerin said, a 400 watt smile on her face. "We have all been so excited waiting for your arrival!" She finished pulling him into a hug. Michael didn't like hugs, wasn't used to them except for when Izzy went all sappy, so he just stood there. 

Mrs. Guerin took Michael on the "grand tour" of the house. He'd be sharing a room with the two girls until the other room could be cleared out. Would the joy ever end? Then the two kids were "shooed" out of the house. No literally, she actually used the word "Shoo", if that really is a word.

Michael and Liz walked into the front yard. Liz sat down on the blocks that surrounded one of the two trees in front the house, so Michael sat on the adjacent tree. The two stared at each other, Michael was trying to figure out where he had seen her, had seen them. 

"Ho-how long have you been here?" Michael stuttered out. 

"On earth or in this house?" Liz asked

'Both" Michael answered quickly.

"I have been living here, only about a week. Cherokee, that's Mrs. Guerin, she's cool. Don't cross Hank though." She said, then looking more solemn, she added, "as for the otherworldly question. I think only four years, but I can't be too sure."

"In the dessert?" Michael asked her, hoping she understood his question.

"Yeah, when I was six. Or so they say." She looked down. "and you?"

"Same." He muttered. Looking at Shysie, who didn't look like she was listening, but he was sure she was. He asked, "and you?" 

"She doesn't talk." Liz said resolutely, "Never says a word. Cherokee is always trying to get her to say something, but she never does. Just sits there silently. Doesn't cry either. She is like us though, I know for sure about that." They both stared at Shysie, she still seemed to not here a word they were saying. 

"Is.. Um.. is she retarded?" Michael asked. Just then Shysie stood up and threw the book she had been reading at Michael barely missing his head. "Jeeze!"

Laughing Liz said, "No, and she's not deaf either." 


	4. Finding Family

Later that afternoon

"Diner's ready kids." Cherokee announced from the kitchen. Shysie and Liz stood in response and began walking towards the kitchen. Abruptly Liz stopped and turned around to face Michael where he continued sitting.

"Are you coming?" she asked in a whisper. Slowly she extended her hand in invitation to him.

He wanted to take her hand, he really did. His heart told him she was family, someone to trust. His brain, however, continued to warn him about attachments. He wondered also if he would somehow be considered disloyal to Max and Iz if he let her in.

'She is like us though,' Michael rationalized in his mind, 'they will welcome her too, one day.' Just when he had decided to take her hand, she pulled it away dejectedly. He looked into her sad rejected eyes, and he felt sorry that he had hesitated. Looking into her brown doe eyes he realized exactly how sad and lonely she was. She had wanted the some things he had always wanted for himself, a home, a family and a sense of well being.

"Yeah," Michael muttered in an almost inaudible voice. Quickly he sttod up and walked to her grabbing her hand. 

The two stood and stared at one another for several moments. No words were exchanged, but they were speaking loud and clear to one another. From this point on they were going to be each others family, each others home. They wouldn't let anyone change that or take it away. They were brother and sister.

"and sister." Liz added, breaking the spell and the silent understanding the two had been sharing.

"Shysie" Michael again muttered. How could he leave her out? She seemed to be the most vulnerable of all of them, and yet Michael even in his head couldn't help but emphasize the word "seemed".

Michael had been watching her since he had gotten here a few hours ago. Why didn't she talk? She was hiding something , he knew that for sure. Does she know who or what they were? Does she know where home is? Or is it a different kind of secret? 

Sometimes she would look at him and he would feel that sense of recognition again. Of course he had the same feeling with Liz, but with Shysie it was different, it was almost as if she were in his head looking for something. He felt naked when she looked at him, he wasn't in anyway frightened of her, but he couldn't understand her. She seemed at times to be trying to communicate with him, the way she looked at him it was as though, at times, she were saying things. He just didn't know how to listen.

"So…..um…..we should probably get in there." Liz interrupted his train of thought. Shaking his head in agreement, they made their way to the kitchen. Together.

"There you two are!" Cherokee exclaimed with a smile setting down two plates of plates on the table in front of the chairs Michael and Liz were to occupy. "Shy and I were just discussing what happened to the two of you."

"Shy said that she thought the two of you had run off and joined the circus," the older women added, "Don't worry though Michael, I assured her that a young man like yourself wouldn't be caught dead in a purple sequined jumpsuit!"

Liz began to giggle to his left, where she had taken her seat . He also noted that Shysie was also laughing silently across the table, her aqua blue eyes sparkling.

"I thought she couldn't talk?" Michael demanded in a confused voice. Looking at the females in the room for an answer.

"It was a JOKE, Mikey." Liz told him matter-of-factly, "You know your supposed to laugh." she added rolling her eyes.

"Besides, she can talk, she just chooses not to." Cherokee corrected him taking a seat next to him.

"So she has talked to you before?" Michael asked now thoroughly confused. Picking up the cheese burger that lay in front of him, he mentally prepared himself for the bland taste that always came when food wasn't spicy or sweet enough.

As he was about to take a bite of his burger a bottle of tobasco sauce slid across the table to him. Looking up, he suddenly decided that Shy was his new favorite person. He noticed that she had already smothered her own food in the spicy sauce and silently he thanked her. 

"No, she hasn't said a word to anyone, ever. As far as I know." Cherokee continued as Michael generously covered his own food in Tobasco.

"Jeeze, Mickey SHARE!" Liz yelled ripping the bottle of Tobasco from Michael's hand. Looking up at Cherokee she apologized for cutting her off. 

"BUT," Cherokee continued, "now that her family is here I hope that she will have something to say."


	5. Speaking Out Of Turn

Hours turned into days, days into weeks, and weeks into months. Soon Michael Whitmore, Elizabeth Orcheta and Shysie Johnson became Michael, Elizabeth and Shysie Guerin.

When Hank had finally came home that first day, Michael new by looking at him that he didn't like or trust him. His opinion of the man had changed though rather quickly, in the place of dislike and distrust he now only found pure and unadulterated hate. 

He never hit the three children, merely made crude and hurtful comments. Cherokee wasn't so lucky though. Bruises, broken bones and degrading words were the only promises he ever kept to her. 

In the beginning, Hank had treated the kids merely as thorns in his side. Something that got in the way, but for the most part he ignored their very existence all together. Something changed one day though, something that frightened Michael.

Lately he had noticed Hank watching Liz and Shysie. The way he looked at them made Michael extremely uneasy. He wasn't exactly sure why it bothered him so much, but his distrust for the man brought him to a decision. He needed to keep his sisters away from Hank Guerin as much as possible. He new that that was the only way to keep them safe.

Michael quickly came up with a plan. He had seen a flier on the door of his classroom advertising after school programs for students. He quickly went to the office and grabbed three parent permission forms, for Cherokee to sign. The after school groups met Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3pm-5pm. He made a few minor changes to the paper, using alien magic he altered the papers to state that the groups met Monday-Friday. Silently reminding himself to change them back before turning them in.

Liz, he decided would join the science group. He truthfully felt she would be good in that class, she was always questioning everything. Shysie rarely participated in much of anything, so his choice for her was a bit more difficult. She refused to talk so chorus and drama were out, he thought about signing her up for art, which is the class he would be taking, but decided against it because although she seemed to enjoy the things he made she never tried to do it herself. So in the end he decided the reading group would probably be best for her.

Liz was a bit upset at him, to say the least. She complained that she hated school and didn't want to spend her free time "surrounded by science dorks". Michael was eventually forced to resort to bribery. On days they weren't in their respected "club" they would go out near the canal behind the old burned out apartment complex and practice their powers. Michael, however, had become suspicious of Liz's dislike for science when she had begun excitedly telling him and Shy the proper names for all of the plants they came in contact with.

He became utterly pleased with himself. By the time they would get home from school, Hank had generally already left for work. Liz and Shysie had become more animated and he too felt good about the times they were getting to spend together. Not to mention every time they practiced their powers he felt stronger. They had each been able to manipulate structure all were equally adequate in that department. They attempted healing occasionally when one of them would get a bug bite or a scratch and found that they could heal minor things, but all felt very strongly that they would never be up to what Michael explained Max could do. Power Blasts, as well, went the same way. While the girls could do them they were unable to match the force Michael was able to unleash. Dream walking was hard and they had yet to figure it out, also Liz was unsure of her special power, and Shysie never showed anything she was especially skilled at other than winning a silence contest.

Things were going well for the three of them. They felt somewhat safe in the times they spent alone together. Life always gets in the way though, and just when everything seemed to be looking up, everything started spiraling down.

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Hank came home early from work one day. He'd lost his job, was drunk and looking for a fight. Cherokee had quickly rushed them to the room they shared. Her eyes pleading with Michael to keep the girls and himself in the room and quiet.

He silently prayed that Hank would pass out drunk or that he would suddenly decide to avert his anger toward him. He rationalized that if Hank were hitting him at least Cherokee would be safe. That she would get a moments peace from the constant onslaught of pain Hank brought her.

Hanks screaming and ranting only escalated outside of the room. Things breaking at slaps could be heard coming from the living room. He blamed her for everything, demanding that she was the reason she was being hit. It was her own fault, he tried to teach her, but she was stupid and would never learn. Her pleading nearly tore Michael's heart out, but Hank was unaffected he continued to get louder and more violent with every passing second. Glass breaking and slaps echoed throughout the house, along with loud sobbing from Cherokee.

Suddenly Michael remembered that his sisters were here too, looking away from the ceiling he saw that Liz had buried her head in a pillow and was too crying. Shysie on the other hand just sat on her bed, a look of sheer concentration on her face. 

Moving to comfort Liz. He laid down next to her on her bed and began whispering assurances to her, trying to convince himself as well. Neither of them noticed the look of determination on Shy's face, nor did they hear her slip out of the room.

A scream from the living room, quickly followed by a thud brought both Michael and Liz to a sitting position on the bed. Both sat there for a moment afraid to move, afraid to speak. The noises in the other room had completely stopped. Suddenly Liz jumped from the bed, looking around frantically.

"Where's Shy!" Liz nearly screamed frantically. Michael looked to her now empty bed, jumping up he prayed she was hiding. Not in the closet, not under the bed. She wasn't in here anymore.

"HEY! Come on. Your mother has fallen and hit her head on the coffee table!" Hank yelled, slamming their bedroom door against the wall. Michael grabbed Liz's hand and ran out of the room dragging her along.

He was relieved to see Shysie standing there in the living room, but his relief quickly turned to horror when he saw the only mother he had ever known laying in a heap on the floor. Her once beautiful face was purple and swollen, her arm was twisted beside her at an awkward angle and her hair was covered in a sticky red substance that was now growing into a large puddle on their once off white carpet.

The ambulance came and took Cherokee away, Hank followed with the kids. The entire ride there Hank reiterated his story. She had slipped and fallen into the table. Michael noticed that he looked mostly at Shysie when he told them, over and over again he said it. Giving Shy warning looks, as if to tell her to stick to the story.

Much of the damage was inconsistent with Hank's part of the story. Although it was true she had hit her head on the table, the doctors nor the cops believed that she "slipped". Hank acted outraged that he was even being accused of such a thing, he would sue he assured them. The problem was he wasn't a very good actor.

The three children were then questioned. What had happened to their mother? The cop promised that Hank wouldn't be allowed to hurt them. Liz and Michael stuck with the story that Hank told them. Had silently decided it better, to keep their mouths shut. So imagine their surprise when the girl who refused to say a word for 10 nearly 11 years decided to spill the beans.

"The truth will set you free." Michael had once heard, but he couldn't help but wonder if this time, the truth would get them killed.


	6. Hopeful Wishes

Chapter 6

Three days had passed since his sister had said her first words and Hank was arrested. Two days had passed since he or Liz had seen Shysie. One day had passed since Cherokee had died from her head wound.

'3-2-1, like a count down.' Michael thought dryly. He didn't quite understand why he felt the need to count down the days, but he found himself doing it over and over again. It didn't really matter though, he had become attached, his family had faltered and the world came crashing down around him.

"Where's my sister?" Michael demanded again from the backseat of Mrs. Davirro's car, where he and Liz sat. They were in route to their new foster home, and from the looks of things Shysie would not be joining them.

"She's safe." Mrs. Davirro said nonchalantly, "Don't worry she will be fine."

"No, she won't!" Liz yelled out from the backseat, grabbing Michael's hand. "She' isn't FINE, she won't be OK, and she definitely won't be HAPPY! Not without Michael and I! WE are her family! WE need each other!" Michael gripped her hand tighter, calming her immediately.

"Look kids," Mrs. Davirro said frustrated, pulling the car to the shoulder of the road, "The fact of the matter is, you are NOT family. She isn't your sister, however, even if she were your biological sister it would not change anything."

"But…" Michael started to protest, but was cut off.

"I understand that the three of you have become quite close, and I am sorry. I really am. What you have to understand is that it is VERY difficult to find a home willing to take two children in at one time, let alone three." She had swiveled around in her chair, looking straight at them now, she added, "I suggest you two relish the time you two have, while you can."

'While you can' the words reverberated through Michael's mind over and over again. He felt as though someone had punched him in the gut. He didn't want to think about losing Liz too, not after everything that had just happened. Looking over at Liz, he saw the fear on her face too.

'Screw THAT!' Michael nearly screamed at the top of his lungs. They made him leave Roswell, his life, his friends to come to Arizona. Then he had found his family, and he wasn't about to just let them go without a fight. 

In the end though, there really wasn't much he or Liz could do. They tried their best to try and locate her, but to no avail. Both felt very strongly that she was still within Arizona, but neither could explain why or where she was. Hope that they would see her again was all they had, and they clung to it and one another. Each afraid that tomorrow they would wake up and the other would have been sent away.

So here they sat, on Michael's 16th Birthday like they did every year since they'd last seen Shy. Liz brought Michael a cupcake with one candle in it, there was no party, no cake, no friends, it was just Liz and Michael. For five years now this was how they celebrated their birthdays, hoping the next year would bring what they wanted. 

"Happy Birthday, Mikey! Make a wish." Liz said with a smile on her face. 

"I wish to have my family back, for good." Michael said the exact words he and Liz had said for five years now, his eyes closed tightly as if afraid to break the spell. He blew out the candle.


	7. Birthday Surprise

Chapter 7  
  
His birthday went like it normally always had. Except for Liz, everyone around him acted completely oblivious to the fact that he was one year older, at least in the eyes of the law. His birthday had just been another thing that the system made up about him. His name, age, and birthday had been guesses made by a group of people. Michael had wondered many times if they had just put a bunch of dates into a hate, and then decided that would be his birthday.  
  
'It didn't matter…….much' he thought, in two more years he would be 18, and then he would be free of the system. He would be able to make his own decisions, go where he wanted to go and they couldn't stop him. Only he worried too, he was afraid because he would be 18 on June 15, and Liz wouldn't be 18 until August 31. Shysie too, although he hadn't seen her in 5 years, wouldn't turn 18 until July 17. Although it was only a matter of months, Michael new that a lot could happen and he couldn't help but think it all would be bad.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Liz asked, from her bed in the room they shared.  
  
"Hockey." Michael answered immediately looking away from the ceiling he had been pondering for the last half hour.  
  
"You're a terrible liar," she scolded him, throwing her pillow at his head, she added, "and you worry too much."  
  
Catching the pillow before it smacked him in the face, he placed it behind his head. Decidedly he changed the subject, "So they tell you where they were going this time, or just up and leave again?"  
  
"Vegas," she answered giving him a look that told him she knew what he was doing, "they got the checks from the state, for babysitting us and decided to go for the weekend."  
  
"They actually told you all that?" Michael asked with a crooked grin on his face, eye brow raised quizzically.  
  
"Nah, I was eavesdropping." She answered him nonchalantly, "as far as they are concerned, we think they will be home." She lay down on her bed, "They should have at least wished you a Happy Birthday." she added sadly.  
  
"It doesn't matter, they don't mean anything too me." Michael assured her, trying to pretend he really didn't care, "Besides, Tony did say something the other day."  
  
"What?" Liz questioned skeptically.  
  
"He said that now that I am about to be 16 years old I need to get a job." Michael laughed.  
  
"He's a peach." Liz added wryly.   
  
A knock at their window brought both teens back from the pity party they were about to enter. Michael and Liz both jumped up from their beds. Liz started towards the window, but Michael grabbed her and pulled her back.   
  
"Who the hell is it?" Michael asked her in a hushed voice. Liz shrugged looking frightened. Both looked back towards the window as the lock popped open and the window opened loudly behind their closed curtain.   
  
Grabbing Liz and pulling her behind him, he quickly took a protective stance. Raising his arm in front of himself, he was ready to defend his sister and himself, if need be. He could feel his powers collecting within him, the hairs on his arm stood on end from the electricity that he was creating inside himself.  
  
The curtains began to move where the intruder was now entering the house. Soon they could see shoes and then jeans. The curtains hid the interloper, concealing the persons identity. Slowly the curtain was raised over the person's head.  
  
"Oh my God." Michael heard Liz whisper behind him before pushing past him. Enveloping the person in a hug.  
  
"Shysie?" Michael asked, knowing the answer before he joined the two.  
  
They stood there holding on to each other for dear life for a long time. Each afraid to let go, for fear that it was just an illusion or a dream. 


	8. Reunited

Chapter 8  
  
"Where have you been?" Liz asked finally, dislodging herself from her siblings.  
  
Shysie didn't answer, just pulled out of the embrace Michael had her in. Walking slowly around Michael and Liz she made a quick survey of the room before turning back to face her brother and sister. She just stared at them, Michael wasn't sure but it looked to him like she was assessing the situation.  
  
'She's stopped talking again.' Michael thought sadly, but was quickly proven wrong.  
  
"Mesa. Globe. Flagstaff. Glendale. Apache Junction." Shysie listed off, looking to the floor.  
  
"Oh…." was Liz's only response. Slowly Liz walked to her bed and took a seat grabbing Shy's hand and pulling her down next to her. Michael followed, sitting on the other side of his newly found sister.  
  
"Ho-how did you find us?" Michael questioned his voice ragged with emotion. He began blinking furiously, fighting back the tears of relief that threatened to spill over.  
  
"Liz called me." She answered simply as though that answer would be explanation enough. Michael looked questioningly at Liz, but he new immediately that she didn't have a clue as to what was going on either.  
  
"I guess she didn't mean to, I thought maybe she had accepted it by now." Shy muttered, more to herself than anyone else. Looking up she added, "I got this feeling today. I KNOW it was from Liz. I had to be here, and it HAD to be tonight."  
  
"Why tonight?" Michael asked softly.   
  
"Accepted what?" Liz asked.  
  
"Why tonight? I am not exactly sure, but there is something important about tonight." She told Michael, then turning to Liz she added, "Figured out part of your power. The gift that you are more skilled at than the rest of us at."  
  
"So wait, Liz's gift is she calls people? Wouldn't the phone work as well?" Michael asked confused.   
  
"No," Shysie answered laughing, "her power is something else all together, but it all ties in together. Her calling me, is something I think we all can do. I have been able to feel you two since we were split up, she was just able to strengthen it somehow."  
  
"So you've known where we've been all this time?" Liz asked sounding hurt that she had never contacted them before.  
  
"No, I knew that you were together and that you were ok, but I was never able to figure out where you were. Just a strong feeling that you were still in Arizona. Trust me, I looked for the two of you." Shysie reassured Liz. Michael and Liz nodded in understanding, they both had had the same feeling about Shy.  
  
"Ok, so then what is her power?" Michael asked.  
  
"I think she knows as well as I do what it is, she's afraid of it." Shy said looking directly at Liz.   
  
"I don't know what you are talking about." Liz rushed out. Michael was completely at a loss, had Liz found her gift and then kept it secret? From him of all people?  
  
Shysie sighed loudly, "Two weeks before Hank was arrested, before Cherokee…… Cherokee died, you had a dream. No, it was more like a nightmare."  
"I had a lot of nightmares back then." Liz retorted, jumping to her feet and beginning to pace the small room.  
  
"There was something different about this one." Shy shot back, "You know what I am talking about Elizabeth, you have had similar dreams since! I can feel it." Michael was completely bewildered at this point. Dreams? Feelings?  
  
"It didn't happen though!" Liz yelled, "The other things did, the other dreams, but they were insignificant a coincidence really. THAT one never came true, Hank went to jail and Cherokee ended up dead!" Liz fell back onto the bed sobbing, Michael rubbed her back trying to comfort her, he still didn't understand a thing they were talking about.  
  
"How….how do you know?" Liz whispered through sobs. Shy grabbed Liz's hand.  
  
"The two you have always been the only ones I could completely block. Occasionally I would still listen, but usually I didn't want to invade your privacy." Shysie began, looking off into space, "That night though I couldn't block you Liz. Hell, I couldn't feel or hear anyone, but you. I thought I suffocating at first, though I was dying. Then I realized it wasn't me at all." Shy paused a moment, "I felt your soul break and you wanted to die. In that moment, I thought I would die."  
  
"I went to your bed, I had to see what was wrong. When I touched you I was pulled into the nightmare. I saw and felt it all. I just wanted you to calm down to be alright, it took all the power I had at that moment to just kick you into normal sleep. When I did it though, I knew that it hadn't just been a nightmare. It was future, unless I changed it."  
  
"You changed it?" Liz asked incredulously.   
  
"Wait, wait!" Michael said from where he still sat confused on the bed. "Would someone like to tell me what the HELL we are talking about? What did you change?"  
  
"Hank was a bad man, Michael." Liz told him sounding like a small child, rather than the young adult she was. Michael shot her his best "DUH!" look, but she wasn't looking at him. Apparently the carpet had become extremely interesting. Michael turned to Shy for answers.  
  
"You didn't think we noticed the way Hank would look at us, but we did. You were trying everything in your power to keep us away from him and for that I am truly thankful, but Hank was on to you. He had plans of his own, and no amount of extracurricular activities would keep him away for too long." Shy told him. Michael was dumbfounded how did she know about his plans? How did she know what Hank had been planning,?   
  
"My power is empathic. That is the best explanation I can come up with. I can also control some people's thoughts." Shy stated sadly, both Michael and Liz gasped. "I am not particularly fond of the power, it's hard 'feeling' and 'hearing' what people are thinking or feeling at the time. Sometimes, I think I might lose my mind. People say so many things, but rarely what they really feel or mean."  
  
"Anyways, when I saw Liz's vision, I kept trying to turn Hank away. I wanted him to leave, but he was too set in what he planned on doing. Maybe it was because I was afraid of him or what he planned on doing and it hindered my control. His mind wasn't particularly more advanced then some people I have been able to 'suggest' things too before. Only the fear element seems different. That's beside the point though, the point being, I just couldn't do it."  
  
Michael sat down again, his mind reeling. "On the last day, I had an idea. It came to me when they started fighting, when Cherokee had sent us to our room. She was afraid for us, I felt it. I sat on my bed sending her soothing thoughts about being away from Hank. About what kind of family we could be with out him, but she too I couldn't control. Her mind was different though, it was like there just wasn't any room in there for me. Not with the control Hank already had over her." Shy grabbed Liz's hand for support.  
  
"I went to the living room. I had every intention of using a power blast on Hank." Shy told them, "Mine weren't as strong as Michael's, but I was convinced I could at the very least knock him unconscious. When I got there though, Cherokee was alone. She sat in the corner of the room cradling her broken arm, muttering to herself. I went to her, I wanted to fix it, to fix her, but I knew I couldn't. So I just went to comfort her, but something happened when I touched her…"  
  
"What?" Liz and Michael whispered simultaneously.  
  
"We connected." Shy said looking into their eyes, " I swear I didn't start it, and I know she didn't either. I guess it was the emotional states we both were in that triggered it. Suddenly I was flooded with all these images from her past, and apparently she saw into me as well. When it ended all I could feel coming off of Cherokee was primal rage mixed with determination. Hank walked back into the room."  
  
"Cherokee jumped up screaming and running at him. She barely had enough time to jump on his back before he threw her off, and she fell onto the table." Shysie whispered the last part, "She was gone immediately, I felt her soul go."  
  
"She saw it." Liz whispered hoarsely, "She saw what he was going to do." Shy nodded sadly.  
  
"I loved her, and I killed her. I am so sorry." Shy finished.  
  
"You did NOT kill her!" Michael yelled, suddenly softening, "None of us did. We were only kids for God's sake, we never asked for any of this." He assured his sister's pulling them into a protective hug.   
  
"Was Cherokee an alien?" Michael asked awhile later.  
  
"No." was all Shy said.  
  
"Then how did she know? How did she know where to find us and that we are family?" Michael questioned.  
  
"She had visions. Like Liz does, but she wasn't alien, just special. When I saw in her mind, I knew. She had been looking for us before we even hatched. She was born at Maryvale Hospital and given up for adoption there. She would dream about us at night and she new she had to bring us together, but she didn't listen to everything the dreams told her. I am not sure exactly WHAT they told her, but I had a strong feeling that she wasn't following the 'plan' exactly."  
  
Michael had a million other questions, but he knew he wouldn't get any more answers tonight. Liz and Shy looked like they had been through the emotional ringer of a lifetime and he doubted he looked much better. They all needed some sleep. No, his questions could wait, for now.  
  
The three quickly rounded up some bedding and made a pallet on the floor. None of them wanted to be separated tonight. Michael, Shysie and Liz lay side by side on the floor, each hold one another's hand. Michael waited until he was sure that both his sister's had drifted off, before he let sleep claim him.  
  
Not to long after the threesome fell asleep, Michael found himself standing on a cliff overlooking the vast desert. His two sisters still held tightly to his hand. "Where are we?" Liz whispered to his left.  
  
"Roswell." Michael whispered back breathlessly. Suddenly Shy let go of his hand and slowly began guiding him to turn around.  
  
So quietly he could barely hear her, Shy said, "Happy Birthday, Big Brother." And it was, before him stood seven teenagers. Two of the seven were Isabelle and Max. 


	9. A New hope

Chapter 9  
  
"Michael!" Isabelle cried running up and smothering him in a hug. "We weren't sure it would work!"  
  
"Ca...can't breath." Michael gasped out, hugging her back. Michael could see Max slowly approaching, and when Isabelle backed up he and Max shared a hand shake that was quickly pulled into a brief hug.  
  
"Good to see you, Man." Max told Michael with a smile crossing his face. "We were worried when you just disappeared."  
  
"Yeah, good to see you too." Michael told Max, "Sorry that I didn't call or something. Didn't know I was going so far." Michael muttered his apology to Max and Iz. Stepping back, Michael began eyeing the other five teens that stood behind his two long lost friends.  
  
"Who are they?" Isabelle spit out nervously, motioning towards his sisters. Michael then realized that his sister's had moved back a couple feet and were looking everywhere, but at the group.  
  
"I could ask the same question." Michael responded sounding a bit more defensive than he intended. Stepping backwards a couple steps, he reached back and grabbed his sisters hands and brought them forward. They were in this too.  
  
"You could," Isabelle smirked, "but I asked first."  
  
Michael sighed in frustration, "These are my sisters. Elizabeth or Liz," Michael said motioning with his head to his left, then motioning to his right, he added, "and this is Shysie or Shy."  
  
"What kind of name is Shysie?" Interrupted a short curly haired blonde girl.  
  
"It's Native American," Shy whispered barely audible, "it means 'Silent Little One.'"  
  
"You don't look Indian nor are you all that silent." the rude girl determined. Michael was about to tell her where to shove it, when he noticed the boy next to her grab her arm.  
  
"Tess, SHUT IT!" The brown haired boy hissed. Looking to Shy he added, "You will have to excuse my sister, she has verbal diarrhea." The statement causing snickers from everyone, except Tess who stood there fuming.  
  
"Hey!" Tess yelled out smacking her brother upside his head, "I am telling mom you said that, Joe."  
  
"Zip it!" Joe yelled. Surprisingly enough, Tess listened.  
  
'Uh hem," Max cleared his throat, throwing Tess a disapproving look. "The sister thing you will eventually have to explain, but first you should get some introductions."  
  
"That's Alex," Max started pointing at the tall boy on the end, then continuing down the line, "Maria, Kyle, you've met Tess and Joe, Isabelle, and me. Max."  
  
"Aliens?" Michael asked.  
  
"Yes and no." Max said awkwardly, "Joe and Tess came out of pods like we did, but Maria, Kyle and Alex were human."  
  
"What do you mean 'were'?" Asked Liz, "They woke up one day and found that they had become alien?"  
  
"Not exactly." Max responded giving Liz a coy smile.  
  
"Cut the crap, Maxwell." Michael snapped, immediately feeling guilty.  
  
"Fine." Max relented, "They were dying. I healed them, and they changed."  
  
"That's it? How is that even possible? You completely changed their genetic makeup? Their species?" Liz asked incredulously, only receiving a shrug from Max. "Ok then, why were they dieing? How is it that all three were dying? Exactly how long did it take for them to show powers?" Michael smiled at the shocked look Max was now giving her, she sure liked to ask questions.  
  
"Um..It doesn't matter right now. We will go over everything later." Max said resolutely, Liz sighed despondently because she didn't get her answers. "What about the two of you?"  
  
"We're both alien." Liz answered for both herself and Shy.  
  
"We really need to get the info we came for, in case we lose the connection." Joe said quickly.  
  
"Right," Isabelle agreed, looking at the Guerin teens she explained, "we were only able to contact you because all of us formed a connection. I have been trying to dream walk you for years, but you were always out of reach. It wasn't until Maria suggested this that we were finally able to get here."  
  
Michael looked at the girl they called Maria who was smiling proudly. She had a beautiful smile and it made Michael smile a little himself. He remembered her now, she had sat in front of him in Ms. Mahoney's 3rd grade class. He always pulled her pig tails.  
  
"We told our parents. My dad's a lawyer and he and the sheriff are working on the legalities to bring you home." Iz told him, "We need...."  
  
Michael cut her off, "Your parent's? The sheriff? Holy crap, did you paint a billboard and announce it to the entire town?"  
  
"My dad's a good guy!" Kyle ground out defensively. "He has been helping to bring YOU here."  
  
"Not the whole town, Michael." Max assured him, "Just my parents, the sheriff, Amy Deluca, the Hardings who already knew from Tess and Joe. Oh yeah, and the Parker's know."  
  
"Holy CRAP!" Liz yelped from his left side. Shy gasped as well.  
  
"Don't worry, all of them can be trusted with our secret." Max shot out quickly, "They are all doing their best to bring you home to Roswell."  
  
"I won't go." Michael ground out. Isabelle let out a shaky gasp. When Michael met her eye's he saw that she was near tears, and he felt guilty, but he wasn't going to just back down.  
  
"I promise, Michael, our secret is safe." Max pleaded with Michael for reason.  
  
"It's not that, although that bugs the crap out of me." Michael told them pointedly, "I am NOT leaving my sister's behind."  
  
"Of course not, we will just have to move on to Plan B." Joe jumped in.  
  
"What's 'Plan B'?" Maria whispered to Alex who just shrugged at her in response.  
  
"We need to know if your last name has changed, where you live and so on." Isabelle rushed on, her eye's imploring Michael to show no more resistance.  
  
Michael quickly answered all of their questions. They all three still remained Guerins, none having been re-adopted by new families. Suddenly he remembered that Shy hadn't lived with them for the last five years and he had really no idea where she was staying now.  
  
"Where are you living now?" Michael asked Shy. Hearing a gasp, he looked up.  
  
"I thought she lived with you?" Asked Isabelle.  
  
"We got split up." Michael answered before turning back to Shy. "Where?"  
  
"Well they said if I ran away again, it's back to the Big House for me." Shy joked quietly.  
  
"Jail?" Tess blurted out.  
  
"No, the Patrick O'Dell Memorial Orphanage. So that is where I will be." Shy told Michael.  
  
'Again?' Michael questioned himself, looking at Shy. Had she become the Houdini of foster care in the last five years?  
  
Michael hated the Orphanage. He had spent some time at POMO with Liz, but only a few days. They had move on pretty quickly to another foster home before long. Bad things happen there, he felt it in his bones and had made sure to keep a sharp eye on Liz the entire stay. The last thing he wanted to worry about was Shy spending time their alone.  
  
"No worries, Michael." Shy whispered, squeezing his hand. "I have been there several times, I know how to be invisible. I will survive." Michael couldn't help but worry, that's what brother's do, right?  
  
"Alright then, now we know where to look and exactly who to look for." Joe said flashing a smile at Shy. Not unnoticed by Michael.  
  
What also didn't escape Michael's attention was the fact that Max had been staring at Liz since the moment he'd laid eye's on her. That fact that she was staring back, disturbed him even more. Max was like his brother, but he would kick some alien ass if he ever touched her.  
  
The group had all begun talking amongst themselves. Everyone except Shy and Michael. While Shy seemed content to just watch the happenings of the group and listen to the banter, Michael was lost in thought.  
  
He couldn't get over the idea that Max and possibly Joe were enamored with his sisters. He was a guy, he knew how guys thought. Were they thinking about Liz and Shy? What the hell was going on in their dirty little teenage minds? He'd kill them.  
  
How could he let this continue? Nothing had happened yet, he knew that, but he had a feeling in his gut that was telling him that would eventually. What if they were all related? What if Liz, Shy, Tess, Joe, Max and Iz were his brothers and sisters? This thought disturbed him beyond rationality.  
  
Michael could already picture the headline on Jerry Springer, 'My sister is pregnant with my alien baby.'  
  
He was so engrossed in his delusion, that he barely noticed Shy laughing hysterically beside him. Looking at her quizzically, arching an eyebrow. Finally she laughed out, "Stop it, Mikey. Your killing me here!"  
  
"Get out of my head." Michael whined loudly.  
  
"Sorry," she whispered, "You were sending out weird vibes." Neither noticed that the group had also seen Shy laughing and began listening. She added, "Beside Mike, this isn't the Ozarks. We would know if we were all related. Liz and I are your only blood relations."  
  
"How do you know that?" Asked Alex, alerting the two to the fact that they were being listened to.  
  
"I just do." Shy whispered with a shrug. "You don't feel it, Joe? Tess?" She asked the two, then turning to Max and Iz, "You don't feel the bond between the two of you?"  
  
"Well yeah, but there's something." Tess said looking away.  
  
"Missing?" Shy asked, Tess and Joe nodded. "It's because you are missing one. Your brother."  
  
"There is another out there like us?" Joe asked excitedly, looking at Tess who also looked happy. "We have a brother?"  
  
Shy shifted uncomfortably, "You did, there were eight of us all together. He died, though, he died before he was even born. Riverdog and I buried him." Tess began to sob loudly, while Kyle comforted her. Joe just stood there looking brokenly towards the ground. Shy moved from Michael's side and went to Joe, grabbing his hand.  
  
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Michael boomed out, everything that just happened finally sinking in. "You never told me any of this!"  
  
Shy still stood holding on to Joe's hand, her back turned to Michael. He could barely hear her when she whispered, "You never asked."  
  
"You never talked!" He shot back.  
  
"Spoke." She looked at him.  
  
"What?" Michael asked confused.  
  
"I never spoke." She said again.  
  
"Um, ok thanks for the English lesson, but that is COMPLETELY off topic. Why didn't you tell us?" Michael yelled about ready to strangle his sister. Why wouldn't she feel the need to ever bring this up?  
  
"I didn't remember." She told him letting go of Joe's hand. "Lately I have been remembering things."  
  
"What else do you remember?" Max asked.  
  
"I remember everything from the time we were born until now." She started. "When I came out, the only ones left were Liz, Cheveyo, and me. I wasn't sure at the time, but I new he didn't look good. Now I look back and see that he had already passed away."  
  
"Cheveyo?" Asked Iz.  
  
Smiling slightly, "That's the name Riverdog gave him, it means 'Spirit Warrior'. It seemed very fitting. Anyways, I left the cave to see if I could find help, I guess. I got lost though, I came across Riverdog and I brought him with me, finally finding my way back to the cave."  
  
"When I got there though, Liz had already gone. Cheveyo had fallen from his pod, apparently it wouldn't hold him any longer and he lay on the ground. Riverdog and I buried him just outside of the cave."  
  
"Do you remember were the cave is?" Tess asked sadly, "Do you know where my brother is buried?"  
  
"Not exactly where, but it's near the Mescalero Reservation. Go to Riverdog there, tell him Shysie sends you, he will remember. He will take you to our birth place. He can be trusted." Michael realized Shysie was sounding more broken and farther away. She was standing right next to him, but she appeared to be screaming and her words were getting lower and lower in volume. Suddenly she flickered out. Looking to the others, they too were losing their grip on this reality.  
  
Suddenly Michael was thrown into a dream of his own. "Now back to your regularly scheduled programming, already in progress." Was the last thought Michael had before he was sucked into his dream completely. 


End file.
